Medicinal Herb Series: Echinacea

Echinacea

Let’s talk about Echinacea for a second shall we.

This incredible little herb needs to be at the head of your medicinal herb cabinet, especially during cold and flu season. Any form of echinacea needs to be ready at all times. Be it tincture, tea or capsule. I feel like at some point we have all taken echinacea because we have heard that it helps support your immune system.

But what you probably haven’t heard are all the incredible properties that echinacea holds, immunity boost being just an added bonus. Let’s dive into our medicinal herb series and check out all the amazing things this little plant can do.

Growing Echinacea

Echinacea, also known as, coneflower thrive in prairies and open areas. It loves moist soil and full sun. Echinacea has deep tap roots that store water for times of drought. It blooms during summer but stays attractive during fall and winter.

And I mean, how beautiful are those flowers. So bright and cheerful.

Medicinal properties

Like most medicinal herbs that mother nature provides us, echinacea holds incredible healing properties in more ways than just one. While it has made it’s name for the powerful immunity boosting properties it has, it can also help protect the body from nasty ailments. Here are some ways to use echinacea.

Immune booster: Echinacea can reduce the duration of the common cold by 60%. It boosts the immune system giving your body a fighting chance against colds and flus.

Helps fight cancer: The biological compounds of the plant give it this superpower that helps fight cancerous cells. I encourage you to do deeper research, but the Natural Institute of Health (NIH) put this herb to the test and it came back with tremendous results. (1)

Pain reliever: This herb can be used to relieve pain from, headaches, toothaches, stomach aches, sore throats, herpes or sores and wounds. Just to name a few.

Anti inflammatory: Echinacea is a high anti inflammatory herb, it it suggested that individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis take it daily to help reduce inflammation. It can help with back pain, caused by inflammation, as well.

Mental health: Echinacea is highly regarded when it comes to mental health. It is one of the first herbs that was used to help treat symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Echinacea also helps reduce anxiety, depression and mental stress. It helps clear the mind of clutter.

While echinacea is an herb that you must always have on hand, high doses of echinacea can result in some side effects such as nausea and dizziness. The proper dosage of echinacea is around 20 milligrams a day. (2)

How to use Echinacea

You can take echinacea daily by capsule, tea, or tinctures. The best form of any herb is a liquid form such as a tincture. A tincture allows the medicinal properties of the herb to enter your blood stream faster, allowing it work more efficiently.

Just like any medicinal herb, they are meant to be metabolized by the body. There is no quick fix when dealing with natural solutions. The biggest rule of thumb when it comes to natural healing is to take the amount of time you have suffered from an ailment and turn them into months. For example, if you have struggled with inflammation for 3 years, it will take roughly a 3 months to give your body the proper amount of time to heal.

Mother Nature provided us with everything we need to heal our bodies. She put them here to help guide us and keep us healthy.

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FDA Dislcaimer

The information provided in this blog are for educational purposes only. All products sold on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease. You should contact your health care provider for guidance.